It is with good reason that Guy Trebay’s ode to the handwritten note in last Friday’s New York Times resonated amongst so many readers; nary a person today isn’t inundated by the banal onslaught of Helvetica, Verdana, and Cambria e-mails and text messages that comprise nearly all of our nonverbal communications. As many in his article point out, sending a handwritten letter is somewhat like donning an elegant mohawk—it is an entreaty to be seen as unique. Of course, this is a major cultural shift from what was once a de rigueur, daily practice. Aside from the obvious personality, tactile soulfulness, and expression a handwritten note conveys, sending stationery can simply be a thing of intimate beauty. As Trebay quotes William Miller, owner of the Printery in Oyster Bay, “engraved stationery has a sculptural quality, shadow lines, artful arrangement of colors.” Now, if our lapsed practice of cursive handwriting could only catch up.

Here, some of our favorite pressed, engraved, and monogrammed papers to add to your stationery wardrobe.